Bismarck State College theater students put on director's hats each spring to produce the Festival of Short Plays Wednesday and Thursday, May 1-2, in Sidney J. Lee Auditorium.

Sponsored by the BSC Drama Club, the series is a presentation of short plays and theater pieces for adult audiences. Shows are 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. both days.

In this event, selected theater students take responsibility for directing all aspects of their chosen play including auditions, costumes, set, lighting, sound and publicity. This year features the premiere of two original plays by BSC student Mercer Sage -"Pieces," directed by Sage, and "Sirens in the Distance" directed by Brandon Wetch.

Wetch is this year's outstanding drama student and has been accepted into the University of North Dakota's Musical Theatre program. Sage is a 2012 BSC graduate enrolled in specialty theater classes. "Pieces" grew out of an Introduction to Theatre class project to write and produce a 20-minute play. The process of rewriting the "Pieces" draft spawned his second play.

Sage has directed two other plays and appeared in BSC's productions of "The Movie Game," "Picasso at the Lapin Agile," and "A Man of No Importance." He is a professional wrestler and operates his own wrestling promotion company.

Audiences also will see "Diversions" by Christopher Durang directed by Dakota Stein, an Irene Ryan scholarship nominee at the American College Theatre Festival, and "Anonymous," an original devised theater piece.

"Anonymous" was created by the BSC Actors Ensemble with suggested choreography by The Paper Birds Theatre Company of England, which just completed a three-day residency at BSC and the University of Mary. The work is presented in cooperation with The Group That Opened the Box and Prevent Child Abuse North Dakota. Text derives from "Authentic Voices," written by North Dakota childhood abuse and sexual assault survivors.

Admission is free for this last event of BSC ArtsQuest, the college's month-long celebration of the arts.

About Bismarck State CollegeBismarck State College, an innovative community college in Bismarck, N.D., offers high quality education, workforce training, and enrichment programs reaching local and global communities. For more information visit bismarckstate.edu.